Build anthology #1 (Satchmo III)

Hail 405th!

This thread will document the process and progress of creating three helmets. The three helmets that will be the focus of this thread are the Reach Pilot, the Halo 4 Spartan IV, and the Reach Commando.

The typical workflow for each helmet will consist of...
1) modeling, scaling, and unfolding activities (these will not be discussed in depth).
2) printing, creasing, cutting, and assembling pepakura activities (these will not be discussed in depth).
3) the application of fiberglass resin to the exterior and then to the interior.
4) the application of rondo to the interior.
5) the application of fiberglass mat to the interior.
6) a series of applying bondo and sanding it to smooth the exterior.
7) various detail work including the installation of face-shields, padding, and electronics where desired.
8) potentially mold work (to be determined later).

Progress updates will typically be posted once a week and will include brief work summaries for each helmet along with a couple of detailed descriptions to highlight specific or interesting portions of the completed work (since the same workflow will be in force for each helmet I will try to avoid reiterating the same types of information).

The remainder of this introduction will describe the models used.

PILOT HELMET (LINK)...
jtm1997's Pilot model is very good. It has a nice shape that makes bondo work go pretty smoothly. I did modify the model slightly to emphasize and remove some of the details before re-unfolding...I didn't ask permission to do this so I hope jtm1997 doesn't take very much offense.



SPARTAN IV HELMET (LINK)...
The Spartan IV helmet is from another great modeler, harnor. He has allowed me to refine this one a bit and I've shared the collected work in my model portfolio thread.



COMMANDO HELMET (LINK)...
A weaker (but pretty handsome) modeler contributed the Commando helmet. There are some great Commando helmet models on the forums but this one is based on some concept artwork which is slightly distinct from the in-game model.



I hope the work detailed in this thread will help others so if anyone has any specific questions please feel free to ask. I welcome all positive and negative criticisms. Do work four-oh-five!

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UPDATE #1 SUMMARY (2012.04.21 through 2012.04.30)...

Pilot...
1) Typical workflow through rough sanding/shaping

IV...
1) Typical workflow through interior rondo

Commando...
1) Typical workflow through interior rondo

UPDATE #1 DETAIL...

"Inicio."

I'm not going to lie, there is some length to this first update but hey, I got a decent amount of work done in the last two weeks that I'd like to share. If you bare with my I promise to try to trim done some of the excess moving forward.

When unfolding I prefer making folds over cutting out and having to glue tabs. To this end I try to minimize the number of pieces and maximize their size when I unfold. I think this speeds up the pepakura process. The following table illustrates the time taken to build these models. I believe I work faster when listening to music than when I have Netflix running but the times are fairly consistent across the board (I was catching up on a couple years of South Park during the Commando assembly). Please ignore the reference to 28 average pieces...the cake is a lie.



The Pilot helmet through the rondo step. I hot-glued a chop stick at the back of the neck opening to splay it open. I like the slightly flared pieces and it make for easy wearing. I noticed after applying rondo that the model I used didn't have the piece that covers the back of the neck. I was aggravated having noticed this but fortunately I was able to do some model work to make one and was slightly proud to have fixed the omission after I assembled it and added the piece to the model before continuing on to fiberglass installation.





After a few series of bondo/sanding the Pilot helmet is roughly smooth but I need get at the tighter spaces and then work my way up through the finer sanding papers.





I started the IV and Commando helmet a week later than the Pilot helmet and both of them are through the interior rondo phase. Before I continue with the Pilot I want to catch these up so I'm working on the same processes for all three helmets. I think this will keep me more on track than if I'm jumping back and forth between fiberglass install and bondo work.







Actually, this update wasn't that long...a decent amount of images, but who doesn't enjoy some eye candy now and then. I'll be moving to complete fiberglass for the IV and Commando helmets this week while beginning to read up on vacuum-forming for the Pilot face-shield. I know of some threads I'll be looking through but if anyone would like to recommend some good resources I would appreciate it very much.

Thanks everyone for your interest and support and I'm tired now and need to sleep. Wake me from cryo-sleep if anything interesting comes our way please. Signing off.

LOVING the Halo 4 multiplayer helmet, good job

Wow man these are looking fantastic! The halo 4 one is a beast lol. So you have a file we can download for it??
I am subscribed good sir lol

EDIT: nvm i found your file thread lol Thanks!

wow. This is some great looking work.

Fantastic thread man! I'll be watching this in the months to come Would you mind if I added this as reference on my advice thread How to get the most out of your build ?

Thanks man!

Jacob

I don't know why but every time i look for homemade vacuformers i always seem to end up here. . I hope it helps. i am definatly going to subscribe.

MikyVengeance said:

LOVING the Halo 4 multiplayer helmet, good job

Click to expand...

This thread will document the process and progress of creating three helmets. The three helmets that will be the focus of this thread are the Reach Pilot, the Halo 4 Spartan IV, and the Reach Commando.

Satchmo III said:

Actually, this update wasn't that long...a decent amount of images, but who doesn't enjoy some eye candy now and then. I'll be moving to complete fiberglass for the IV and Commando helmets this week while beginning to read up on vacuum-forming for the Pilot face-shield. I know of some threads I'll be looking through but if anyone would like to recommend some good resources I would appreciate it very much.

Thanks everyone for your interest and support and I'm tired now and need to sleep. Wake me from cryo-sleep if anything interesting comes our way please. Signing off.

Click to expand...

It's too bad you don't live closer to CA, I could vacuum form for you! If you have any questions though, I've been doing a lot of vacuum forming lately so I can heeeelp!

UPDATE #2 SUMMARY...

Pilot...
1) Layout work

IV...
1) Installed rondo-glass

Commando...
1) Installed fiberglass
2) Rough sanded and one bondo/sand iteration
3) Rough cut face-plate opening

UPDATE #2 DETAIL...

"Ketchup."

This week's primary goal was to get the Spartan IV and Commando at the same stage as the Pilot. So not much was done to the Pilot. I did want to mention that so far this Rustoleum primer, shown below, is my favorite for spraying in-progress pieces. It's pretty easy to sand off so it doesn't clog sand paper and darker colors (deep red in this case) allow me to use chalk to rough sketch up details that will be added to the helmet.



I poured a layer of rondo and then a layer of rondo-glass in the Spartan IV in lieu of installing fiberglass (I wanted to try something new). The rondo-glass layer is a little too thin and the helmet still flexes a bit when pressure is applied.



I may pour another layer or fiberglass but minutes after spraying a primer coat I dropped the helmet and it cracked a bit around the neck opening. I'll fix this with two part glue similar to what I did with my original helmet (http://www.405th.com/showthread.php/30987-Noble-six-build-work-log-(Satchmo-III)?p=543124#post543124).

I poured a layer or rondo and installed fiberglass mat to the interior of the Commando helmet. So far I like this process for hardening models the most. After this I rough sanded the exterior and then did some bondo work.

After priming the helmet red I moved to cut the face-plate opening. I'll probably use a motorcycle face-plate for this helmet but I wanted to practice cutting the opening in one piece to use the model face-plate for a vacuum-forming buck template. Since the face-plate opening is recessed I find it difficult to reach it cleanly with a dremel tool so I took a drill and punched holes around the opening perimeter. This coming week, I'll take the dremel and cut from the inside where I can get at it easier. Pre-drilling the holes also helps to take some of the workload off the dremel which doesn't have the greatest battery life. Always remember to wear glasses to avoid debris or chipped cutting wheels getting in your eyes.

Work this coming week will generally consist of shaping each helmet with bondo/sanding. I'll cut the face-plates on the Commando and Spartan IV and meanwhile write up a materials list for making a vacuum-former and hopefully get over to the hardware store.

Thanks for your interest guys. Keep building!

UPDATE #2 POST RESPONSES...

MikyVengeance said:

LOVING the Halo 4 multiplayer helmet, good job

Click to expand...

Thanks. I really like the simplicity of the model.

Mstruvmgc said:

Wow man these are looking fantastic! The halo 4 one is a beast lol. So you have a file we can download for it??
I am subscribed good sir lol

EDIT: nvm i found your file thread lol Thanks!

Click to expand...

No problem. Thanks for reading.

thorn696 said:

wow. This is some great looking work.

Click to expand...

Thanks, thorn696.

JBetts97 said:

Fantastic thread man! I'll be watching this in the months to come Would you mind if I added this as reference on my advice thread How to get the most out of your build ?

Thanks man!

Jacob

Click to expand...

You may...I hope something I've written can help someone.

firevoid said:

I don't know why but every time i look for homemade vacuformers i always seem to end up here.

. I hope it helps. i am definatly going to subscribe.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the link. It's helpful to see someone carry out the process. I'm excited to give this a shot.

elizabethjw said:

This thread will document the process and progress of creating three helmets. The three helmets that will be the focus of this thread are the Reach Pilot, the Halo 4 Spartan IV, and the Reach Commando.

Click to expand...

Spam-a-rang.

Katsu said:

It's too bad you don't live closer to CA, I could vacuum form for you! If you have any questions though, I've been doing a lot of vacuum forming lately so I can heeeelp!

Click to expand...

Thanks for the offer, Katsu, I may hit you up with some questions if I find a snag.

Awesome! I'll link this thread in the advice thread!

Any updates man?